Patterns Manipulatives for Kindergarten

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Patterns

Understanding patterns is the basic premise in mathematics. We cannot

over-emphasize the need to guide a student in developing skills to recognize and use patterns in mathematical problem solving. This basic understanding will have a profound effect on a student’s understanding of mathematics. Therefore, your student needs an abundance of opportunities to formulate, develop, and expand his/her meaning from patterning. Here is a basic idea list of materials that are wonderful for patterning.

Manipulatives:

1. Pencils (begin with 2 colors at first)

2. dry beans (white and brown)

3. crayons

4. keys (a variety of shapes)

5. milk bottle tops (different colors)

6. color paper clips

7. rocks (begin with 2 colors at first or two different sizes)

8. leggos (4 colors works well)

9. seashells

10. buttons

11)plastic color clothes pins

12)tiles

13)color beads

14) baby food jars (fill with different colors of food coloring & water)

15) shoes (everyone in the house)

16) M&Ms

17) jellybeans

18) apples and oranges (or any two fruits of distinctly different colors)

19) clapping your hands to develop differing rhythms

20) leaves (especially great in the fall)

21) a recording of foot and hand clapping in a variety of rhythms and patterns. You can record this yourself. Remember, young children are in the concrete stage of development. Therefore, when teaching we must offer a wide variety of learning experiences using the five senses.

22) good writing pencils or crayons. (No markers please. We believe the use of markers with young children often supports early development of symbols that are inverted. This is because of the bleeding through the paper.)

23) long sheets of blank paper for making a variety of charts and number lines.

24) a great manipulative you might want to purchase are unifix cubes (be sure to get them in at least 4 colors). They usually are sold connected in groups of tens.

25) finally, get a bucket of pattern blocks. These will get plenty of use during math lessons. Also get several unbreakable mirrors

26) glue or paste

27) small notebook

I would suggest gathering between 10 to 15 of each object from the list beginning with number one down to number 13. Store all this in a storage container. We will discuss gathering 14 through 25 later. Have your child help you and explain that this will be his/her math manipulative box for school work and projects.

Remember I explained earlier that some of the best manipulatives would cost next to nothing? Well this is not even the tip of the iceberg of innovative and exceptional mathematical tools to support your child's basic understanding of patterning in the field of math.

Now here are some simple and fun lessons for both the student and the teacher. Following these lessons we will offer some great reading ideas for trips to the public library. This will both accentuate the patterns topic but also link the importance of reading and concepts across the curriculum. (These lesson plans demonstrate the use of the manipulatives listed earlier.)

Lesson Plans:

1) Independent Investigation

2) Rhythm and Counting

3) The Point Line

4) The Jellybeans

5) Mirrors and Symmetry

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